Memory cards commonly include a circuit board that holds integrated circuits, and a connector at the front of the card for connecting to a corresponding connector in an electronic device that receives the card. Standard JEIDA cards have a thickness of five millimeters, which enables them to be inserted into thin electronic devices.
The cards can hold a considerable static charge having a potential of ten thousand volts or more, which should be dissipated prior to mating of signal contacts of the card and device. Memory cards are currently provided with grounding contacts as well as signal contacts at the front of the card, but there is danger that a static discharge can occur between signal contacts prior to mating of the grounding contacts. A static discharge system which provided early discharge of static electricity from a memory card, in a construction that minimized the effects of an electromagnetic pulse created during sudden discharge, and which was of relatively simple and reliable construction, would be of considerable value.